🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️ — The U.S. government has sold two sanctioned oil tankers for scrap after seizing the vessels in the days following Washington’s raid on Venezuela, according to Lloyd’s List.

Dubai-based ship recycling company Global Marketing Systems purchased the Era and Lileo for an undisclosed amount last month following a court-authorized sale.

Both tankers, which previously operated under several different names, are now expected to be dismantled at shipbreaking yards in India.

🇨🇴⚡️ — At least 132 people have died and 570 have been injured as a result of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday.

The city of Pereira has reported 60 deaths alone.

🇺🇸⚡️ — Anthropic is holding meetings with prospective investors as it seeks to build confidence ahead of a potential IPO as early as September or October, WSJ reports.

The AI company has faced questions over growing competition from lower-cost Chinese models, strained relations with the Trump administration, and resistance to new data center projects.

Anthropic told some investors that it will increase its focus on healthcare and biological research as part of its future expansion.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️ — President Trump reposted a graph that claims Iran has no money and says the Iranian Rial is "trash."

🇾🇪❌🇾🇪 — Air defenses are currently engaging Houthi (Ansarallah) drones over Mokha, PLC-controlled Yemen.

🇸🇾🇸🇾⚡️ — Aleppo Governorate’s Internal Security Command lifted the curfew in Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) after security patrols were deployed and calm was restored in the city.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️ — A U.S. military intelligence assessment says Iran’s strategic priority has shifted from its nuclear program toward the Strait of Hormuz, according to NBC News.

Military officials have warned President Trump that any operation to seize control of the strait would be lengthy, costly, and deadly, with no guarantee of success.

🇨🇩🦠 — The WHO says the DRC’s rapidly growing Ebola outbreak began in February, months before it was officially declared on May 15.

Early cases were mistakenly attributed to malaria and typhoid, while conflict, health worker strikes, misinformation, and limited testing delayed detection and containment.

Confirmed cases have reached 4,200, with more than 1,900 deaths. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

🇺🇸⚡️ — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:

Thanks to President Trump, our country is more affordable.

🇺🇸⚡️ — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:

We cannot allow these far-left liberals to take power. If these radical extreme liberals are given a chance at power, they will try to obstruct this president and turn our country into a communist hellhole.

🇸🇾⚡️ — Atef Nabil, a former officer for the Assad-led Baathist Syria and a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, was sentenced to death by the Damascus criminal court for participating in the death and torture of civilians under the previous regime.

🇸🇾⚡️ — The Damascus criminal court sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher al-Assad to death in absentia over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

🇷🇺⚡️ — Putin: What threats does artificial intelligence pose to us?

Man: To tell you the truth, you have nothing to fear.

Putin: Well, I have never been afraid of anything.

🪖🇷🇺⚡️ — Russia’s northern NATO neighbors are strengthening security around critical infrastructure amid concerns that Moscow could stage a “false flag” attack using Ukrainian drones to test the alliance’s response, Reuters reports.

Lithuania has deployed troops to protect key energy facilities, including its LNG terminal, oil infrastructure, a major electricity link with Poland, and the Kruonis hydroelectric storage plant. Latvia and Poland have also increased security around dams, gas facilities, and power infrastructure.

Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have all warned about potential Russian sabotage operations, while the Kremlin has dismissed such accusations as “scare stories” intended to justify increased militarization against Russia.

🇦🇪🇸🇩❌🇸🇩 — A Financial Times investigation reveals that the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces seized at least 1.5 tonnes of gold worth roughly $100 million from Sudan’s state refinery and banks during the opening phase of the civil war in April 2023.

The gold was moved through Chad and South Sudan before being flown from Juba to the UAE, allegedly aboard Emirati cargo aircraft.

Dubai remains the main destination for Sudanese gold, including large quantities believed to be smuggled through neighboring countries. Gold production and trafficking have become a critical source of wartime financing, particularly for the RSF.

🇪🇬🇹🇷🇸🇦🇵🇰⚡️ — Egypt declined to join the new Mecca defense pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan despite sustained efforts by Ankara to bring Cairo into the arrangement, according to Middle East Eye.

Turkish officials had initially viewed Egypt as a natural fourth member because of growing coordination on Gaza and regional security, but Cairo ultimately chose to stay out as it balances sensitive ties with Israel and the UAE.

Egypt is a U.S. ally with full diplomatic relations with Israel and reportedly feared additional pressure from Tel Aviv if it joined a pact containing a collective-defense clause. Cairo is also reluctant to take sides amid growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, on which Egypt remains financially and militarily dependent.

Egypt also wants to avoid being drawn into an emerging alignment of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan against a competing bloc centered on Israel, the UAE, and India.

Türkiye still hopes Cairo will eventually join the alliance as it develops and demonstrates its ability to serve as a credible deterrent against regional threats.

🇹🇷🇱🇾⚡️ — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Libya on Tuesday and Wednesday, holding meetings in both Tripoli and Benghazi.

Talks are expected to focus on expanding Türkiye-Libya cooperation across political, trade, energy, military and defense sectors.

🇮🇷🇵🇰🇺🇸🇴🇲⚡️ — UKMTO received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, in waters near Gwadar, Pakistan.

🇾🇪🇸🇦⚡️ — Three crew members aboard a commercial vessel were killed after it was struck by a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis (Ansarallah) while sailing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Al Hadath.

The victims were two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian. The missile was said to have been launched from eastern Taiz Governorate.